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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

This last week I focused a lot on getting outside. We have had such a dismal winter with tons of snow and cloudy skies. It's been really getting to me lately. As we are getting near March, the weather is slowly getting warmer and the sun is FINALLY peaking through the clouds again. So I've been taking advantage of any chance I can get outside and get some Vitamin D. Vitamin D is so critical in the wintertime. That's why so many of us get the "Winter Blues" because of the lack of being outside and getting some sun rays.

I mean literally, I would stand faced towards the sun and SOAK in all I could get. It felt so good! I can't get enough of the sun lately, hence the long walks I've been taking. I actually liked the crisp cold weather with the sun shining in the sky, it was a nice fresh feel!

On my walks I've been listening to some UHHMazing podcasts. I can't get enough of podcasts. I don't even listen to music anymore. I'll share with you some of my favorite podcasts in the near future!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

So I've been holding off for a while on my "Beauty Tab" because I've been experimenting a new approach to Beauty. I've been trying to approach beauty from a natural perspective.

I originally invested money in store-brand cosmetics and cleansers. After noticing my skin was not improving, I decided to go a bit more expensive and try Clinique.

Basically I HATE Clinique now. If it works for you, I'm jealous...well not really cause it's very costly. Their 3-step Skin Care Line just did not work for me. Their products made my skin WAY worse than it was before.

I about had it after Clinique. So I went down a different road, trying a natural way to clean my face.

I discovered the oil cleansing method from the Skintervention Guide that I purchased online!

"The Oil Cleansing Method (or “OCM”) is generally described as being based on
the idea that “like dissolves like” – as in, oil dissolves oil. Therefore, blockages
composed largely of oil are dissolved and removed. But it’s much, much more
than that!""The power of natural oils to freshen, balance, heal and beautify the skin is ab-
solutely amazing. The Oil Cleansing Method, as I teach it, is an opportunity to
give your skin the greatest nourishment possible."

Here’s how to blend your deep-cleansing oil with your nourishing topical oil:
If you have dry skin, or are prone to flakiness or rash: mix one part castor oil (OR
hazelnut oil) with five to ten parts nourishing topical oil. (The drier your skin, the
less castor/hazelnut you’ll use.) Add several drops of your Bonus oil if desired.
If you have normal skin (neither dry nor oily, with or without blemishes):
mix one part castor oil (OR hazelnut oil) oil with five parts nourishing topical
oil. Add several drops of your Bonus oil if desired. If you have oily skin (with or
without blemishes): mix one part castor oil (OR hazelnut oil) with three parts
nourishing topical oil. Add several drops of your Bonus oil if desired.

Step 1: Soak your washcloth in warm (not hot) water, or run a trickle of

warm water over it so it’s saturated and warm by the time you finish step 3.

Step 2: Blend your oils. You can use a small mason jar or container (even
a shot glass works) to blend the oils for each application, or you can pre-mix
your oils in a separate container for repeated use – just be sure you’ve deter-
mined how much of each oil is right for your skin type and mix accordingly!

Step 5:Apply oil to face. Massage the oil into your skin gently and patiently.
(Slow strokes – this isn’t the time to hustle!) Breathe deeply (for me, this is the
only time of day I remember to do some deep breathing) for overall stress relief.

Step 6:Wring out your warm washcloth so it is damp, not soaking. Apply over
face and allow it to warm your skin for a few moments. (Up to 30 seconds.)

Step 7:Gently wipe the oil from your face with the washcloth.

I use 1 part Castor Oil & 5 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I bought a little squeeze bottle from Wal-mart ($2) to store my oil cleanser. It's been wonderful for my skin. And it's very inexpensive for the kind of results that you get. I absolutely love it! It's not at all harmful to my skin. I'm sticking to the Oil Cleanse Method for LIFE!

Monday, February 25, 2013

I've always wanted to make poached eggs. I just didn't know how to. I thought you needed this special pan or something. My grandma would make poached eggs for me when I would come visit and spend the night when I was younger. I loved it when she made me poached eggs. It's the perfect combination of a hard-boiled egg and over-easy egg. You still get a bit of a runny yolk. AHH I LOVE eggs! I eat them every day. I've never had problems eating eggs which I am very thankful for!

Ingredients:

2-3 eggs
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
water
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add water to a small pot about an inch or so.
2. Add 1 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used lime juice, I didn't have any lemons-So either works!
3. Bring water to a boil. In a small bowl, crack open the eggs and pour in.
4. Once water is brought to a boil, carefuly slide in the eggs from the bowl into the boiling water.
5. Boil for 3-4 minutes (I did 4-and they were perfect).
6. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon.

Friday, February 22, 2013

I can't remember when I bought this book but at the time I was looking for ways to "Get the sugar out!" It was very important to me to get this book because I wanted be more aware of how sugar is in "EVERYTHING." If you look at the ingredients of anything in the store...SUGAR is usually one of the ingredients. I wanted to educate myself on that. I also wanted to stop the addiction to sugar. I wanted healthier routes to getting my CARBS.

This is a fantastic read. It's not an in-depth read. It's just a list of simple ways to help reduce your sugar intake! It has a lot of interesting facts and tips that are very helpful. It has TONS of easy recipes to use: homemade condiments, desserts, breads, dips, drinks, meats, vegetables etc. I LOVE this book. I love it because you can take what you want out of this. If you want to reduce sugar in just desserts or drinks or whatever. If anything this book is very positive in meeting everyone's needs. Also it gives the inside facts of artificial sweeteners and its effects on the body-VERY INTERESTING. That was when I first started staying away from fake sugars. Anyway, give it a try! It's definitely up there on my Top Reads for Health & Wellness Books!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

One of my DVD's that I took out of the vault this week was one of Jackie Warner's DVD. I haven't done this workout in gosh I don't know how long. Mainly because I didn't find it as challenging for me as it use to be. Plus, she doesn't do a lot of cardio. She focuses a lot on arm-strength in her DVD's--at least from what I've noticed. I only have 2 of her DVDs.
So I popped this sucker in. The workout is kinda short, only 40 minutes. Not too bad. I wasn't tired afterwards. The next day though...WOW, was another story. My shoulder blades/ Back was sore and MAN---especially my ABS! I find it so amazing when you do a workout that doesn't tire you out as much but you FEEL it the next day. I've been feeling it from my ABS all week--from Jackie Warner's workout DVD. So my faith in that DVD was re-established. I'll have to do that workout more often.

Another DVD that is not that tiring--but you FEEL it the next day is one of Jillian Michaels. It's called Shred it- With Weights. You will definitely feel it in your quads and glutes the next day--It's pretty awesome!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Blake and I stayed home for Valentine's Day because I wanted to make him a nice romantic dinner. On the weekend we went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant because we knew it would be less busy/crazy! But then again, this restaurant is NEVER busy. I always feel kinda bad when I see NO ONE in there. But I'm telling you, BEST CHINESE FOOD EVER!

Anyway, back to our Valentine's Day. I made a very yummy/healthy meal.

Chicken parmesan is a favorite of ours. I used a recipe from Skinnytaste.com but I used olive oil (instead of butter) and almond flour (instead of all-purpose flour). You can find the recipe HERE

For the "mashed potatoes", I made mashed cauliflower instead with minced garlic, thyme and chives. It really was delicious, now mind the fact that NOTHING is better than creamy, buttery, mashed potatoes! But still, I rather enjoyed this recipe! You can find the recipe HERE

For dessert, I made some DELICIOUS (non-dairy) ice-cream--Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice-cream. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make this. You can find the recipe HERE

For gifts, I asked Blake not to get me any flowers, chocolates or big massive teddy bears. Not saying that I never like getting these kinds of things. But rather, this year I wanted to receive something that I could use. The night before, he was so sneeky with my first gift. I went to grab my phone and he slipped on my new phone-cover! It's got a bit of bling-bling and it's white. I LOVE IT! He did a really good job. Then on actual Valentine's day he gave me the BEST gift ever! He pre-ordered Jillian Michael's NEW workout DVD that's released March 5th! I'M SO EXCITED!

I know...I'm a nerd. haha.

So for Blake's gifts I got him a bag of butterfingers-one of his favorite candies. Then I got him some clothes--flannel shirt, sweater, white shirt and b-ball shorts---he has a ton & I love wearing them too--So COMFY! Anyway, that was our Valentine's day! It was laid-back and wonderful!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In fact, I was looking at a "Oxygen" (women's fitness) Magazine and my co-worker blurted out,

My Co-Worker: "That's gross." I look over to see what she's talking about.

My Co-worker: "Look at her arms. She's got Man-Arms."

I look at the picture of the woman flexing in the picture. I shrug my shoulders and say:

Me: "Well, she's flexing. She doesn't walk around like that all day...flexing."

I don't know why but I got annoyed by her comment. Given, yes she had bigger/muscly arms than most women would have. But I looked at the fitness model in a different way. I looked up to her because I think of all the training she has gone through to look like that. It takes a lot of time and GREAT dedication. I think that it's fine however a woman wants to look, as long as THEY"RE HAPPY!

I think society has this "Typical" idea of what every woman should look like.

And sad to say, WOMEN are the ones that support it most.

There is not a moment that goes by that women out there are trying to change something about themselves. And I'm not saying I've never been a victim in this false idolatry.

I wish I could easily escape it. It's all around us.

Tina Fey said it best:

“Every girl is expected to have caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama and doll tits. This is why everyone is struggling.”

I've looked at my own arms and flexed, and I kind of scare myself sometimes. I've got MUSCLES now. Aren't I supposed to have delicate skinny arms???

Then I realize all the hard work and dedication that I've put in to getting those arms! And you know what??

There's no way I would take back my workouts.

Because of my workouts, I FEEL empowered as a woman!

And my workouts make me feel great!

So yes, I don't judge women that may be more muscly then their own kind may be acceptable by but as long as their happy, BE HAPPY FOR THEM!

This book was absolutely fascinating. I find myself wishing I had all these doctors to help me figure out a health plan for me and my future. BUT all of that takes a lot of money, which all celebrities (including Suzanne Somers) HAS. So I get a little frustrated with all the things they're able to change in their life because they have MONEY! But aside from that fact (that all of this costs money) , I am still grateful for all the wonderful knowledge in this book. I learned a lot about what steps I I should be taking to live a long, healthy and happy life.But that's another thing, I didn't like the attitude of "I want to live forever," from Suzanne Sommers and some of the doctors. It turned me off in some chapters because it kept coming up. I'm all about doing everything I can (within my limits) to help improve my life and get rid of the toxins but I'm not thinking extreme longevity (past my 100's). I just want to be able to have strength, happiness and mobility. That's all I want when I'm 80 or 90 years old. So all-in-all, Bombshell was very enlightening to the fact of just working on being more fit and eat natural foods. The other stuff such as bio-technology and so forth....I'm sure that I won't ever be able to afford it, sorry Suzanne.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

One of the hardest components in being healthy is to plan for it. BUT if you get your head in the game and get excited about it and get great ideas of HOW to plan to be healthy then it is 100% doable.

And Trrrrust me, this is a work-in-progress for me!

So here are areas that I find helpful to plan ahead:

1. Breakfast meal

I eat breakfast EVERYDAY!!! It's my most favorite meal of the day. I give myself 15 minutes to prepare/eat my breakfast. In fact I would like to plan more time for my breakfast because 10 of those minutes turns into cooking/ taking my supplements/ putting my lunch together (cause I was lazy the night before). Anyway Breakfast is so important! Most mornings I have egg & spinach omelet cooked in coconut oil with steamed sweet potato--or if I don't have any sweet potatoes, I have a banana with natural peanut butter. I have eggs quite a bit. If I'm more hungry that morning I make oatmeal with--natural peanut butter, honey, almond milk, shredded unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds. Most commonly that is my oatmeal recipe--it's SO delicious! Other times I may add cacao powder to make it taste like a dessert!

2. Packed lunch for work the next day

This probably the most annoying one because I have to make it the night before and sometimes that includes extra cooking because there may not be any dang leftovers in the house. So I usually make a Spinach Salad with whatever Veggies I have in the house (cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, cilantro), Nuts (sliced almonds, walnuts), Fruit (dried cranberries, chopped apples), Meat (chicken, ham, pork, eggs), and almost always AVOCADOS! ---because I love them so much!

3. Post-workout snack

For me, I just need to actually HAVE healthy foods in my house to have a healthy post-workout snack. For example, if I always have berries or a banana, almond milk, nut butter (important for Protein)---THEN I always have a healthy smoothie as an option. Other possible smoothie ingredients I use: protein powder, handful of spinach, shredded unsweetened coconut, sliced almonds, cacao powder. BUT the basics are all you need for a healthy post-workout snack.

4. Dinner

I plan at least 2-3 meals per week (we have leftovers or salads/sandwiches on other days). I plan on meals that are healthy but foods that Blake will enjoy as well. I also focus on at least 1 vegetarian meal per week for dinner.

5. Good-for-me snacks when I'm feeling snacky

It's so easy to grab the chip bag. I like to have a bag of small pre-cut carrots, nuts, apples, peanut butter & dark chocolate when I'm feeling snacky. And it does the trick every time. What I use to do was grab some chips, then a cookie, then some ice-cream--because I felt like I was filling this craving that never got filled because I was choosing foods that were making we want more processed foods.

6. What foods I plan to buy at the grocery store

I make a list of what I need and mostly I stay on the outskirts of the grocery store, where the produce is located.

7. What exercise I will do that day

Am I feeling tired--Do I need something less strenuous?

Am I feeling energetic--I want something more challenging.

8. How much water I am drinking (more like monitor)

I've heard so often that you need to drink 8 oz of water 8 times a day = 64 oz!

BUUUT actually it's not based on a number. It's based on the color of your urine.

It needs to look like a pale lemonade to know that you're drinking enough water.

If it's at all orangey---chug that water!

9. How many hours of sleep I plan on getting

This is the ABSOLUTE most important factor of all of these. I've noticed that if I don't get enough sleep, everything else goes down hill. I'm too tired to make breakfast, lunch or dinner. I'm too tired to go to the grocery store to restock my fruits/vegetables/protein etc. I'mtoo tired to exercise. Above all, not enough sleep = cranky mood + crazy cravings! Anyway, not getting enough sleep is a set up for disaster for me. So I make sure I go to bed early and read before I go to sleep to get a good, deep sleep.

Avoid any diet with an "end-date." Instead of Dieting, adapt life-long changes!

I've tried out a new podcast called Balanced Bites. It's a podcast strictly about Paleo.

As I've said before, I'm not strictly paleo. I mainly just LOVE their idea of eating raw and natural foods. So I wanted to learn more of their "take" on food.

The first podcast I listened to had to do with their "21-day Detox."

I was curious what steps they take to "get rid of" sugar in their diet.

But, the more I listened to it, the more I realized this is insane.

In terms of Carbs/Sugars, they can only eat certain fruits,

no sugar substitutes (stevia, xylitol etc.) no gum, not even mint, no protein powders!

Also, I thought okay what is the point of this detox for 21 days.

What does it help? Does it really truly detox your body?

Doesn't your body need some sort of carbohydrates?

The more I listened to the podcast, the more I realized how stupid the idea is.

Plus, it didn't help that their attitudes were high-and-mighty about how "EASY" this detox is and people just need to do it and get over their complaining of no-sugar intake.

One Listener, in particular, asked if their was a substitute for sugar to put in his coffee...

Their answer was "Man-Up and get over it."

Ummm...First of all it is DANG hard to go without no sugar at all in your diet!

It sounds like a set-up for FAILURE to me!

So what happens on the 22nd day?

How do you go from NO sugar to eating normal again?

The hostess of the show even admitted to binging in sugar after her 21-day detox.

I already know that without trying, I would want to binge too!

In fact, I have binged when I would strongly restrict my sugar intake!

I literally GO CRAZY! It started with pizza, then a bowl of ice-cream, then those chocolates I was avoiding, then those peanut M&M's I've been eyeing, Ahhh and CHIPS!

It was a nightmare! It never worked! Does this sound familiar to you?

My body needed carbs/sugars! I was just going about it all the wrong way.

Another reason why I wouldn't take part in this "21-day detox" is because I workout!

My body NEEDS Carbs after a workout, as long as I balance it out with some protein and healthy fats.

Sugar is necessary!

What isn't necessary, is the processed sugars.

That is where you need to keep it to a limit.

But there are so many types of non-processed sugars that you can still

get your treat AND still feel good afterwards as well.

To add some sweetness, I personally love

L.R. Rice Raw & Unfiltered Honey

Stevia

Nectar Agave Syrup

I think after hearing this ridiculous "detox", I realized even MORE,

Diets that have an "end-date" shouldn't be bothered with!

In fact, I'm tired of the "detox" label. I think it's a bunch of Boloney! I think that adopting an everyday habit that is doable that helps your body function at a better level is better than ANY Diet ever invented.

Diets or healthy eating or whatever you want to call it should be a life-long goal.

Hence, you should make goals that are attainable, not insane like no sugar or no fats.

I've made goals before and realized, you know what?...This is not for me and I know it will NOT work for me.

And that's all there is to it. Everybody is different.

Do what is attainable to YOUR body!

Something that may be easy for me may not be easy for another.

Just listen to your body, Maybe even keep a journal and note how

your body reacts (whether positive or negative) to certain foods so that you

My name is Laura. I LOVE to workout! I want to share with you everything that has worked for me to be this fit: Workout DVD's, Healthy Meals, Supplements, Shake Recipes, Favorite Healthy Snacks, Fitness equipment, and just plain MOTIVATION! I know I need it. So we can help each other! Thanks for visiting!